Uncategorized // Ask BFFF: How to Store Cookies

When I was a little girl, my grandmother had a huge orange cookie jar in her kitchen that was to-the-brim full of her favorite chocolate chip cookies at all times. She had six grandchildren at that time and four (adult) kids too, so cookies were always being baked and replenished to feed all of our not-so-grumbly tummies. But now that I’m (sort of) a grown-up, with my own house, husband, and cookies to bake, we can’t go through ‘em like we used to at Grandma’s, so I like to stuff a few in my hubby’s lunchbox or to snack on some while watching my favorite fall TV shows.

Store them in their own pan: This works great for bar cookies that are thick and sturdy. Often they can be covered with aluminum foil or plastic wrap and kept at room temperature for a week or so.

Wrap them: I am a huge fan of double-or-triple-wrapping my cookies. What I mean by that is, much like how I explained in my How to Ship Cookies tutorial, that I like to wrap each cookie in plastic wrap, place two cookies back to back, wrap them again, and place them in a plastic bag. It really is a ton of work, but it’s the most effective solution I’ve found for my soft, gooey, moist cookies. These should be kept at room temperature as well.

Freeze them: I’m not a huge fan of freezing cookies (mainly because I hate waiting for them to thaw), but it can be great for small households that want to bake a big batch of cookies. You can freeze your cookies in any airtight container, but I prefer freezer bags. You can freeze your cookies for up to three months. When you’re ready to eat another little batch, you’ll want to unwrap them and let them thaw at room temperature.

A Few Tips:

If something’s gone wrong with the cookies and they turned out to be a bit too soggy because of freezing them incorrectly or some other element, try heating them (as long as they are undecorated) at 300 degrees for 5 minutes.

Meringue cookies, for the most part, should not be stored. They do not hold up to freezing well and are a treat that is best enjoyed fresh.

If you don’t know when you’ll be able to enjoy the cookies at all, you may choose to freeze the dough instead of the cookies. I am notorious for always having chocolate chip cookie dough in my freezer and find plenty of other uses for it than just cookies (like tidbits of deliciousness in homemade ice cream).